Note: The Red Sox portion of this transaction analysis will run separately on the site today.

The Cardinals have traded quantity for quality. Given how cheap John Lackey will be next year, you could also say that the Cardinals have traded quantity for value. Allen Craig and Joe Kelly are useful baseball players, but for the Cardinals they are no more than a collection of redundant talent (depth if you are want call it so) and four first names. Had Kelly not been a part of this deal, he would be the starter pushed out of the rotation by Lackey’s arrival. A sixth starter is valuable, but a sixth starter that is not definitively better than your seventh, eighth, and ninth starters (Carlos Martinez, Tyler Lyons, and Marco Gonzalez presumably) is not as valuable. Combine this with the fact that Michael Wacha is due back in September, and you understand that Joe Kelly the Cardinal was very expendable.

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Great trades for birdos. Ramsey, Clark and Kelly for Lackey and Masterson AND Taveras gets a full shot at starting. Cards lost nothing they couldn't replace, will likely sign Masterson to a long term deal and get Lackey all next year at 500K plus a QO.

Worse outcome is that they can trade Lackey next year for the equivalent of Craig/Kelly and get parts that fit their long term needs much better than Craig/Kelly can.